Demographics of the Republic of Ireland
Historical demographics of the Republic of Ireland, Data of CSO, year 2006; Number of inhabitants in millions
Population	4,239,848 (2006 Census) 4,339,000 (2007 est.)
Population density	60.3/km² (2006)
Growth
Growth Rate	2.5% (2006)
Birth rate	15.2 births/1,000 population (2006)
Death rate	6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006)
Net migration rate	11.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006)
Fertility rate	1.90 children born/woman (2006)
Life expectancy at birth
Total	79.59 years (2005 est.)
Male	77.32 years (2005 est.)
Female	81.79 years (2005 est.)

Celtic culture and language forms an important part of national identity. The Irish Travellers are an ethnic minority group.

For centuries a nation of emigrants, Ireland from the 1990s has attracted immigrants from a number of nations both within Europe and elsewhere.

General demographics

Population:

• 4,239,848 (2006 Census)
• 4,339,000 (2007 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.4% (male: 443,044 female: 421,405) (2006)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male: 1,471,032 female: 1,436,441) (2006)
65 years and over: 11.0% (male: 207,095 female: 260,831) (2006)

Population growth rate: 2.5% (2006)

Birth rate: 15.2 births/1,000 population (2006)

Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006)

Net migration rate: 11.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 Census)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 Census)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (2005)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.59 years (2005)
male: 77.32 years (2005)
female: 81.79 years (2005)

Total fertility rate: 1.90 children born/woman (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 2,400 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish

Nationalities in Ireland: Irish (including dual-Irish/other): 88.9%, UK: 2.7%, Other EU 25: 3.9%, Other Europe: 0.6%, Africa: 0.8%, Asia: 1.1%, USA: 0.3%, Other countries: 0.5%, Multiple nationality: 0.1%, No nationality: 0.0%, Not stated: 1.1% (2006)

Ethnic groups: Irish (of largely Gaelic stock, with Norse, Norman, English, Scottish, Welsh, and French admixture), Irish Travellers, Ulster-Scots and various immigrant populations - the largest immigrant groups, with over 10,000 people, are the English and Welsh, Poles, Americans, Lithuanians, Scots, Nigerians, Latvians, Germans and the Chinese.^[1]

Ethnic backgrounds: White: 94.8% (including 0.5% Irish Traveller), Asian: 1.3%, Black: 1.1%, Other/Mixed: 1.1%, Not Stated: 1.7% (2006)

Religions: Roman Catholic 86.8% (however, only 48% attend services as of 2001^[2]), No Religion 6.2%, Church of Ireland 3.0%, Islam 0.8%, Presbyterian 0.6%, Orthodox 0.5%, Methodist 0.3%, Other 2.1% (2006)

Geographic Population Distribution:
Urban population (areas with >1,500 people): 60.8% (2006)
Rural population: 39.2% (2006)

Population pyramid of Ireland, 2001

Languages: English is the most commonly used language, with 94%^[3] of the population calling it their mother tongue. Irish, the first official language of the state, is spoken by 42%^[4]; with 11%^[5] calling it their mother tongue. Irish is the main language of the Gaeltacht regions, where 91,862 people live. Shelta and Ulster-Scots are also spoken by small communities. The main sign language used is Irish Sign Language.

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write^[6]
total population: 100% (2000-4)
male: 100%
female: 100%

See also

• Republic of Ireland
• Ireland
• Irish diaspora
• Polish minority in Ireland
• Lithuanians in Ireland
• Black people in Ireland

External links

• Irish Central Statistics Office
• Historical Census Data
• Marketing Ireland

References

• Oppenheimer, S. 2006. Origins of the British. (also contains information regarding the origins of the Irish)

1. ^ CSO Ireland - Persons usually resident and present in the State on Census Night (2006), classified by place of birth and age group
2. ^ Irish Mass attendance below 50%
3. ^ Eurobarometer - Europeans and their languages
4. ^ 2006 Census
5. ^ Eurobarometer - Europeans and their languages
6. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica